Playing Blind
by ToscaThorCat
Summary: Title says it all. Soul has lost his sight and the situation finally hits home. rated T for one word repeated twice. (if there were a rating between K and T it would be that...)


Playing Blind

_**A/N: **_**I hadn't really planned on ever writing in this fandom, since I never finished the anime or read the manga, but this story has been bouncing around my head for a few years, and I finally gave in… This idea came to me while I was playing the piano (Yes I play, but not well…)**

**I do not own Soul Eater.**

The sound of hesitant playing, and frustrated sighs filled the apartment Soul and Maka shared.

Finally, Soul snapped.

"Dammit this isn't cool!" Hands came down hard on the keys, a fierce clamor came from the sound board.

Several weeks before on a mission, Soul's eyes were heavily damaged, and he was given the news he probably would never see again. Soul tried to brush it off, and pretend like nothing had happened, but that was quite hard when one walked into a door after saying he was fine.

"Soul? Maybe… Maybe you should give it a rest…" Maka tentatively suggested from the doorway.

"NO! I HAVE NOTHING LEFT. I CAN'T BE A DEATH SCYTHE WITHOUT MY SIGHT, I NEED SOMETHING TO DO!" Soul bellowed, not even turning towards her.

"But Soul-"

"MUSIC IS THE ONLY COMFORT I HAD, AND NOW IT IS GONE TOO!"

"Give it time, you may be able to play again someday-"

"SOMEDAY IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH! I CAN'T FIGHT, I CAN'T READ, SO WHAT CAN I DO?! **NOTHING!**"

Soul fell to his knees in front of the piano he lovingly played in the past.

"Playing the piano has been my anchor throughout life… Before I met you, Maka, it was the only thing I had… My family is kinda… distant. I thought that even blind I would be able to play, but now I find that I really do need my sight to play… to find the right placement for my hands… going by feel slows down the reaction, and messes with the timing… I can no longer play in rhythm, or at speed… Before, I could be considered a master at the piano, but now…. Now I am beneath a beginner." Soul sighed, bowing his head.

"I guess I probably should move out, huh?" He whispered, turning his unseeing eyes to the ceiling.

"Why would you say that, Soul?! You are my weapon, I wouldn't dream of sending you away because of this!" Maka cried, stomping her foot.

"Maka, a weapon's job is to protect its meister. Without my sight, how could I do that? All I would be is a burden. I need to leave. You need to find a new weapon, but make sure they are cool. I don't want to be replace by some wimp!" Soul managed to smile, albeit a bit falsely.

"MAKA CHOP" A thick book came crashing down spine first on Soul's head.

"what was that for, flat chest?!" Soul snarled, holding his head.

"Just because you are blind does not make you useless. You can learn to fight without your eyes, and with time, you could probably learn to play blind. You will be the coolest there is, because you didn't let something like the lack of sight slow you down! SO STOP MOPING AND START TRYING HARDER!" Maka shouted, giving him another rap on the head with the book, for good measure.

"you know, you are right! Sometimes warriors close their eyes when fighting a tough opponent! Like those ninja in the movies Black Star likes! What was it that they said it did? Heighten your other senses?" Soul mused.

"People who lose one sense tend to find that the others are heightened to compensate for the loss of the other. You should be able to hear, smell, taste, and feel better than before." Maka recited, as if from a text book.

"…you have been reading about blindness, haven't you? So uncool." Soul grinned.

"thanks." He muttered, looking away.

"just because you are blind, does not make you exempt from chores, though!" she chided.

"WHAT!"

"I still expect you to cook and clean. I will supervise the cooking for a while, though, so you don't burn the house down. Cleaning should be simple enough, you just have to move slowly."

"humph. Going slow is uncool."

"then have fun cleaning up broken stuff when you go too fast." Maka called, as she left the room for the kitchen.

"Do I still have to clean the chimney?" Soul asked.

"Aww… I forgot about that!" Maka cried.

"You can't clean a chimney if you can't see!" Soul announced triumphantly.

"Fine. You don't have to clean the chimney anymore…" Maka admitted defeated.

"YES!"

"but now you have to wash dishes instead. Fair trade, no?"

"DAMMIT! SO UNCOOL!" Soul wailed.

_**A/N:**_** Okay, this turned into a bit of a ramble, but I hope it turned out okay… As I said before, I got this idea while playing the piano. **

**Not very many people realize just how important sight is to a musician. Without sight, we can't read the music, or see for fingering, or watch the conductor. **


End file.
